People

Daniella earned her B.S. in Conservation Biology and Ecology from Arizona State University.  She holds a certificate in Sustainability and Behavior Change from the University of California-San Diego and is pursuing her master’s degree in Environmental Studies from Prescott College. She has been in the Environmental Education field for over a decade. This includes working as a gallery interpreter for the Arizona Science Center, as a Recreation Coordinator for the City of Chandler Nature Center, and then as a Water Conservation Specialist for the City of Chandler. Daniella recently transitioned to the East Coast and has helped the Shaw Institute, a nonprofit marine and environmental research center in Blue Hill, Maine, with outreach and special projects. She’s excited to join the NAAEE team and help support the ee360+ program.

As the Director of Technology, Mary serves as the project lead for NAAEE online technology, including the NAAEE website and eePRO, the hub for professional development. She collaborates with developers, designers, staff, leaders, and end-users in building out features and improving user experience; coordinates with NAAEE project managers to support the technology used to deliver their programs, including the in-person and virtual conferences; and leads and collaborates with the communications team on association newsletters, web content, and community outreach. Mary has been on NAAEE staff since 1999 and her extensive background in technology, website development, outreach, multi-stakeholder collaboration, security, systems support, and project management experience consistently provides the highest level of support to NAAEE’s team, leadership, and members. 

 

Nina joined NAAEE with a background focused on community-based conservation and social inclusion, from working with mangrove-dependent communities in Madagascar to coordinating a global advisory group to promote women's land rights. After a childhood spent living in Asia and Latin America, Nina is particularly passionate about working across cultures to combine her interests in the environment, sustainable development, and social equity. Nina has a Master's in Environmental Management from Duke University. Through her Master's project, she worked closely with a community-based wildlife management and environmental education project in Gabon, where she conducted community mapping in 10 rural communities to better understand their priorities and concerns related to their natural resources. 

Focus on community-based education about the environment, and changing behaviors related to natural resources. Served as Executive Director of NAAEE, 2001-03; NAAEE President, 2001; Board of Directors: 1991-1993, 1994-1996; Committees: Membership (chair), Publicity, Conference, Research.

Sarada has a Masters in Ecology, and has worked in environmental consulting as well as environmental education.  She has worked in organizations such as Chicago Botanic Garden, Three Rivers Park District, Pittsburgh Botanic Garden and Communitopia, where she developed and taught hands-on programs for all ages and helped design interactive exhibits and spaces.  She is passionate about increasing access to nature for everyone, especially for young people. She is a 2023 CEE-Change Fellow. 

The Okayama ESD (Education for Sustainable Development) Promotion Commission is the network of various stakeholders, including universities, civic organizations, businesses and local governments in Okayama area in Japan. Since its establishment in 2005, it has been collaborating to make ESD a community-driven initiative in the area with the aim of establishing a community in which people learn, think and act together toward the realization of a sustainable society.

Adrian has enjoyed a lifelong career in environmental education. Starting out as a park ranger, he has since served as Statewide Director of Education at Massachusetts Audubon, Director of Operations at the Center for Whole Communities, in Vermont, and as NAAEE's Senior Director for Technology Programs. As the founder of eeMatters, an environmental education and interpretive planning consulting group, Adrian led professional and community-based teams that developed strategic plans, master interpretive plans, exhibits, and technology-based communication tools for clients as varied as NAAEE, Maine Audubon, Vermont Institute of Natural Science, Trustees of Reservations, Monadnock Media, Old Sturbridge Village, and New York Botanical Gardens.

Jessica joined Black Rock Forest in 2023 as the Director of Education. Her primary focus is educational programming for K–16 students, teachers, and the general public. Jessica taught middle and high school science in the Bronx for six years, beginning as an NYC Teaching Fellow in 2017. Prior to teaching, Jessica conducted postdoctoral research in wildlife conservation modeling in Germany for four years; first at the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology and then as a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Biology at the University of Konstanz. She also taught college biology courses focused on assessing habitat loss of forest endemic birds. Jessica holds a BS in Nutritional Sciences from Cornell University, an MS and PhD in Biology from Rutgers University, and an MSEd in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, K-12 from City College of New York.